Alberto Núñez Feijóo, leader of Spain’s center-right People’s Party (PP), has pledged to rewrite abortion and euthanasia laws and scrap the Equality Ministry if his party wins the November 29 general election, while leaving open the possibility of governing with the far-right Vox. Interviewed on Cadena SER radio on Friday, Feijó said his main objective was to remove Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez from office and begin “a new chapter” for Spain. The PP has consistently led opinion polls but is expected to need Vox’s support to form a parliamentary majority.
In a wide-ranging interview on Friday, People’s Party leader Alberto Núñez Feijóo outlined a conservative agenda for social policy, promising to change both Spain’s abortion and euthanasia laws if he becomes prime minister. Feijóo said he wanted to involve legal guardians in decisions by pregnant minors, arguing that “many 16-year-old girls who have their parents’ support will not want to have an abortion.” He also pledged to restrict access to euthanasia, which Spain legalized in 2021 under strict safeguards, saying “Spain must become the country where it is easiest to sustain life.”
Feijóo confirmed he would consider forming a coalition with the far-right Vox party if election results requireit. “I cannot rule out doing what the Spanish people tell me,” he said. “If they tell me to provide stability with [Vox], I will do so.” Polite’s Madrid Playbook has reported that Vox is expected to demand a deputy prime minister post and at least one ministry, with speculation it could receive the agriculture portfolio, though Feijóo said no formal talks on allocating ministries had begun.
The conservative leader also promised to scrap the standalone Equality Ministry as part of a broader government downsizing, insisting the move did not undermine his commitment to feminism. “I grew up in a house with more women than men. how could I think that a woman doesn’t have the same rights as a man?” he said. Feijóo declined to explicitly commit to further increasing the minimum wage, which has risen eight times under Sánchez from €735 a month in 2018 to €1,221 today. His goal, he said, is to raise “the average wage, so that people’s purchasing power improves.”
It remains unclear whether Feijóo’s proposed abortion changes would satisfy Vox, which has sought to completely repeal the current law and rejects abortion as a legal right. The election is scheduled forNovember 29.
Analysis
Why This Matters
- A Feijóo victory would end eight years of Socialist government and shift Spain sharply to the right on social issues, affecting millions of women and terminally ill patients.
- The likely need for a coalition with Vox would bring a far-right party into national government for the first time since Spain’s transition to democracy, a development with significant implications for the EU.
- Feijóo’s stance on the minimum wage and his refusal to commit to further increases signals potential changes to labour policy that could affect Spain’s economic recovery and inequality.
Background
Feijóo’s People’s Party is the main centre-right force in Spain and has led opinion polls for several years, capitalising on fatigue with the leftist coalition government led by Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez of the Socialist Party (PSOE). Sánchez has been in power since 2018 and has overseen progressive social reforms, including liberalising abortion access and legalising euthanasia in 2021. The PP has governed in regional coalitions with Vox in several autonomous communities, where Vox has secured deputy premierships and ministerial portfolios. At the national level, a PP-Vox alliance would mark a significant realignment of Spanish politics.
Key Perspectives
Alberto Núñez Feijóo (People’s Party leader): Positioned himself as a reformer who wants to “undo eight years of Socialist rule” and return Spain to traditional values on life and family. He argues his abortion changes would respect parental involvement without banning the procedure, and his euthanasia restrictions would make Spain “the country where it is easiest to sustain life.”
Vox (far-right party): Has consistently called for a total repeal of the abortion law and rejects abortion as a legal right. Vox is expected to demand at least a deputy prime minister and a ministry in return for supporting a PP government, though formal coalition negotiations have not begun. It remains unclear whether Feijóo’s abortion proposals will satisfy Vox’s maximalist positions.
Critics: The current Socialist-led government has defended its social record, including the 2023 abortion reform allowing minors over 16 to decide without parental consent. Without a direct statement from Sánchez’s camp in the source material, critics would argue that Feijóo’s proposals would roll back hard-won rights and that involving legal guardians could create barriers for vulnerable minors.
What to Watch
- Polling trends in the final weeks before the November 29 election, particularly whether the PP can secure a majority without Vox or whether Vox’s demands shift.
- The specifics of Feijóo’s abortion and euthanasia legislative plans: whether they are moderate concessions or more far-reaching changes.
- Any formal coalition talks or pre-election pacts between PP and Vox, and the portfolios Vox might claim.
- Market and EU reactions to the prospect of a far-right presence in Spain’s national government.